Seeds Seeeds seeds

anybody else saving seeds this year for next year I just started last week might be a bit late:x because my garden did produce as well as it shouldI'm going to try a fall and earily winter garden this year I'm working on another 4x4x6 with trilles for the greenhouse then I'm full in there so, Well I got the heaters serviced and really to go this morning won't be to long now,Hummm it's already too hot outside so back to the coffee pot

I'm saving both tomato and pepper seeds. The procedure is posted now on the other thread that starts "Seed Saving" if you want to check it out.



Its fun and a great way to choose the crops that work best for you in your own area.

Good luck.

I have so many seeds I'm saving we had better continue trading seeds next spring. I can't use whole packages of seeds in one year. I just don't have the space or need. So, my plan was to save them well, sprout a few over the winter, and trade for what I couldn't find this year.

How does one save packaged seeds well? I'd like to save mine too!!



Thanks!!

Mark the year of purchase on the front of the packets. You can put several packets in baggies or glass jars and place in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Put a desiccant inside the baggy or jar to keep out dampness.

You might want to put different types of crops in different baggies so they are easier to find when wanted; tomatoes in one, peppers in another, etc.

Desiccant:

Put a teaspoonful or 2 of powdered milk on a Kleenex (or any brand) tissue. Fold it up longways around the dry milk. Then take the two long ends and fold them over each other and staple the long ends shut. You don't want to staple the area where the milk is located or it could spill. Place in the baggy or jar.

This desiccant will be good for about 6 months.

Note: If you place them in the freezer, you take the chance that they will get damp when they defrost when you take them out of the freezer. By the time you put the pack back in the freezer to save the leftover seeds, the dampness will be inside and able to deteriorate your seed. Even Mel mentioned the freezer is NOT the place to save seeds.

I put mine in the crisper drawers. Different types of seeds have different long lives with tomato and pepper about 5 years. I've sown seed from 4 years ago and its still viable.

Thanks quiltbea!!

Saving seeds in freezer or fridge is fine as long as they in sealed container to keep moisture out .
Most of mine are stored in a wardrobe but some rarer tree seeds go in the fridge.

I know this sounds like common sense, but the older the seeds are, the less likely they are to germinate.

I had an old pack of pepper seeds (probably 5+ years old). I said "what the heck?" and planted some. Of the 6 seeds, I got nothing. So, I pretty much planted the rest of the packet (20+ seeds) and a week or so later got about 6 to sprout.

TNGardner, you're entirely right. Different crops have different seed shelf life.

If you go on the net you will find many charts with different numbers.

I personally use these numbers: Beans 2-3, broccoli 3-5, carrot 2-3, lettuce 5-6, pepper 2-3, tomato 4-5.

Parsnips have to be used up the year they are bought. They don't last beyond a year. I actually tried seeds from the year before in 2010 and they never came up.

These times are under ideal conditions, without allowing dampness in the packets.



Saving seeds is a fun thing. Its nice to see a seed sprout that you'd saved from the year before.